The Shining Hope
by YTK101
Summary: Brick is a very diligent and loyal soldier who dreams of becoming a war hero like his father once was. After a certain mission in which involves the capturing of Subject Moonchild is successful, Brick could finally see his dream come true. But being a hero is not just following the rules, as he soon learns later on. In fact, it can be quite the opposite. (First fanfic. Please R/R)
1. Chapter 1

**Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear. ~ Baruch Spinoza**

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Chapter 1: The Operation

Brick was very restless. It was very dark, and he had to finish this mission as soon as possible. He cannot let his own teammates down just because he was he was afraid of the dark. Besides, he had night vision goggles on, even though it did little to calm him down. The flora around him rustled consistently from passing animals and the like, making him a bit jumpy. So, when he saw the flash of blinding light not too far from where he was standing, Brick flew back in surprise, letting out a gasp and a yelp. Soon, realization hit him as soon as he hit the ground. _That must be where my target is! _After regaining control of his balance, Brick took out a tranquilizer and aimed at the light. However, before he could shoot, he noticed that the light took form of a girl sitting cross-legged, as if she was meditating. Well, she _was _meditating. Her eyes were closed and she had a peaceful look on her face, as if she knew nothing of the war that is taking place right now.

Brick could not see her full appearance due to the blinding light, but he noted that from the body structure and from the fact that the target he was sent to capture was a female, he was positive that it was her. But the light could be some sort of force field that is protecting her from any bullets, so Brick needed a back-up plan. He took out a small, black box from his bag, consistently glancing back at the target to check if she notices any noise. She did not even move from her current position. Brick quietly sighed with relief as he then opened the box, revealing a small flute. He then blew on it, making distressed bird cries that made the girl open her eyes in worry and in fear.

The light dimmed as she then stood up and looked around the area. _The birds! Where are they? _The cries then stopped suddenly, as if the birds were quickly killed. The girl speculated that a snake had gotten into a nest of hatchlings. She looked at the ground in deep sorrow, with tears in her eyes. She never noticed the young man behind her who shot the tranquilizer at her neck. All she felt was a pinch and suddenly she became tired. She fell down to the floor with a small _thud! _and all became dark.

Brick came out of the bushes that had served as his camouflage. He carefully poked her, trying to see if she had completely blacked out. She did not respond and, quite relieved that he could now go home, Brick carried her (In the most gentlemanly way ever known) and noted how light she was. He couldn't see directly at her face because the night goggles would hit her face, so he had to wait until they go back to headquarters.

Not too long after he picked her up, Brick received a message from his headphone-like walkie talkie. The voice on the other end was completely unmistakable.

"Hey! Soggy MacGee! Where are ya?! Did you run home to Mommy? Did you even finish the mission and get the target?"

Brick sighed. Out of all the people who he had to be with in the mission, it had to be _her. _Worse, it wasn't just her, as he then heard a loud "Sha-boom!" from the other end. He cleared his throat. "Jo, Lightning. I am coming with the said target right now. Please, no more nicknames."

Laughing, then static was his response. Then, Jo's obnoxious voice came up. "Whatever. Just make sure that you come here ASAP. The Director will be here soon. Oh, you better make sure you are presentable, Dampy."

The receiving end the shut off with a _click! _Brick sighed and glanced at the girl he was carrying. "Well, I wish that at least someone would talk to me without poking fun. You look like that type, well to me, that is. I wonder what the Director will do to you after the mission is over? Nothing too weird, I hope." He smiled a bit sorrowfully at her before seeing the familiar lanterns and rusting metal cabin nearby.

A woman wearing a gray gym outfit with a bob cut and an African American with white hair came out of the door with their arms crossed, having annoyed looks on their faces. _Looks like we made it, _Brick thought to himself. However, as soon as Brick reached the doorway, another figure appeared between his two "fellow teammates." Jo and Lightning both backed away from the figure to make way for him. Brick gluped with nervousness as he felt more afraid than mere hours ago, when he was alone in the dark on the mission. It was the Director, and he didn't look too happy.

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A/N: Hi, I'm YTK101. Well, this is considered my first fanfic ever to be published here, so I appreciate any comments and suggestions. In case if you are wondering, yes, this is a Brawn fanfic. (Eheh...I'm a Brawn fan) I really like this couple, even though the two only interacted in one episode. Please read and review! I shall post when I have the time, but do not worry! This shall be awesome! I assure you! You can also find me on Fictionpress. (Yes, I write fiction ^^) My two most popular works, "Sarang and Ai" and "Black and White Roses" are both there, so feel free to leave a comment or so there as well. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Total Drama is not mine. If it was, then Brick and Dawn would have been a couple, the love triangle between Gwen, Duncan, and Courtney would have turned out differently, and Total Drama All-Stars would have not existed, period.


	2. Chapter 2

**Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present. ~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus**

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Chapter 2: Prior to the Operation…..

_Flashback: Approximately 72 hours and 50 minutes ago prior to Operation MOONCHILD _

_Brick was called down to his sergeant's office, along with Jo and Lightning. He wondered on why the sergeant would call on the three, except maybe to note on their behavior towards each other. It wasn't really a secret: all three despised each to little to no end. They were the competitive kind, always trying to surpass each other through brute strength, strategy, and even in their social life. Everything to them was a competition, and they were consistently trying to cross the finish line by themselves. All three were at the sergeant's door, glancing at one another with death glares to see who gets to eliminate who if they were cut out of the army. They were soldiers who served for the Director. Only the best troops deserved to serve the Director, as the country the soldiers were in was constantly at war, and there seemed to be no end to it. There was no time for fun and games, and the soldiers barely showed any emotions…out the outside, anyways. _

_The glances and glares were cut short when the heavy metal doors suddenly opened, with the sergeant stepping out. He was a muscular, African American man with a gap on his teeth and an anchor tattoo on his right shoulder. He looked down at the three privates as they saluted with respect. He nodded once in approval and motioned them to come into the room with a simply gesture of his hand. The door slammed so suddenly that it made the three privates jump in alarm. _

_The sergeant then turned on a screen, which revealed the face of the Director. "Is this thing on? Chef? You there?"_

_Sergeant Chef Hatchet nodded. The Director then used his signature smile as he then turned to face the three privates in front of him. _

_"Chef here has told me a lot about you three. I'm here to say that I'm impressed, as he also sent me some clips of your training. In fact, I'm so impressed that I decided to give you a special mission of your own. I know, you should thank me, but please, let me finish." He chuckled a bit to himself as Jo and Lightning merely rolled their eyes. Brick, however, was more focused on what the mission was. _

_The Director then cleared his throat. "A month ago, one of our radars showed a beam of light out of nowhere in the forest. A couple of times before that, there were sightings of animals gathering around something or someone. No worries, we concluded that it was a someone. It turns out that the beams of light contained ultraviolet rays that the city's weapons here uses as a resource. Since our power supply is pretty low, we could use that source as a backup for our weapons in case a real war actually starts. Besides, the sun will go out really soon because of all the pollution and stuff we were causing over the years, so yeah. We need the stuff. Basically, all we got from the blurry pictures from our stupid radars suggest that the source is a young female, like you three. Relax, I bet she's the only human who actually goes to the forest, so it's not that hard. Besides, you won't miss a beam of light in the dark."_

_Brick gulped. He raised his hand slowly. The Director noticed and called on him. Brick asked nervously, "So….you want us to go retrieve the target…in the dark...out there?" _

_The Director nodded. "Pretty much. But don't worry. I sent supplies, including night vision goggles and rations, to the cabin you three will be staying in. I'll come meet you three at three to four days' time. Remember, you are doing this for good of our country, so if any of you fail, prepare to be eliminated, along with your family, with no mercy. Good luck and I hope to see you alive!" He chuckled as the screen went black._

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_Present day_

The Director stood at least 5'4'.' He had black, wavy hair and dotted eyes, and a forming beard. He was holding a coffee cup, and he looked dissatisfied as he stepped out of the cabin.

"This coffee is terrible! How do you three live in this dump?" He threw away the coffee cup into the bushes and noticed Brick standing there, holding the girl. "Awesome! You found her! Congratulations, Private Brick. Looks like you've earn yourself a promotion! Bring her inside."

Brick saluted (well, tried to) and went in the cabin, but not before earning death glares from Jo and Lightning, who were pretty annoyed from the fact that he came in late, but more annoyed that only he was given the compliment and not them. He ignored them for the time being and gently placed the girl onto his bed and took off his night vision goggles. Brick was very relieved to see that he was dry down there.

Besides the Director, a small, frail boy with glasses was seen typing on the computer. He took out a scissors and cut a bit of hair, a fingernail, and a piece of skin from the girl and placed them on a petri dish. He then whispered to the Director, who then snapped his fingers as two other men, one with orange hair and a mean aura surrounding him and the other with red curly hair with glasses (excepted his lenses were much smaller than the boy who Brick saw earlier), placed her in a capsule and took her out. They looked annoyed at the fact that they were supposed to actually do something on the mission. They honestly didn't care at all of the importance of the mission at all. Brick frowned a bit at them, disappointed at their annoyance, since the fate of their country was in that girl (and in their hands). The Director then looked at the three privates whom he sent on the journey. "Well, mission complete, troops! Thanks a million. Oh, by the way, we are calling the girl MOONCHILD, so feel free to say that to her. Get to the van and let's get out of here. Seriously, I want to get out of here."

The three merely nodded their heads and saluted at the Director, who then grumbled about good coffee and needing to hit the spa in a couple of hours. As the crew made their way into the van, Brick caught a glimpse of the girl in the capsule. She was curled up in a fetus position. She had pale complexion and light blond hair. Her face seemed peaceful, as if she did not know what was going on. Brick thought she looked a bit cute, attractive wise, but merely shook his head to get rid of the thought. He wondered if he was doing the right thing to save his home, as a little girl was involved. The capsule itself was placed next to Brick as he sat himself in the van, and he stole glances at the girl, wondering if she would wake up from the tranquillizer that he gave her earlier. _Does she even know what is going on? What is the Director going to do with her? _

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A/N: I was actually surprised to see so many views on my story! Thanks, guys! Ah, yes, the Director is Chris, the boy with glasses is Cameron, and the two men who lifted Dawn into the capsule and into the van was Scott and Sam. If I missed anything, please let me know! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

That's what it takes to be a hero, a little gem of innocence inside you that makes you want to believe that there still exists a right and wrong, that decency will somehow triumph in the end.

Lise Hand, quoted in _The Truth in Words : Inspiring Quotes for the Reflective Mind_ (2002) by Paras, p. 107.

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Chapter 3: The Wrath of Mother Nature: Part 1

Approximately a couple of month after Operation MOONCHILD, Brick eventually forgot about the little girl whom he captured. He was too busy trying to compete with Jo and Lightning to earn promotions and receive praise from the sergeant and more recently, the Director. Of course, even though it included doing petty chores, like getting coffee (three sugar cubes and a bit of skim milk) and cleaning the outhouse near the cadet cabins, the Director finally assigned them a "real job". It all started when the trio was caught and dragged (literally) by Sergeant Chef after another day of competition in order to see who collected the most firewood for the campfire. Their fear of being punished (or worse, demoted) was ceased once they saw the huge television screen, in which the Director then popped up in. the Director's face nearly took up the whole screen, which surprised the three cadets before pulling themselves together and saluting to him. The Director looked at the three with his signature smile.

"Good news, you three. Now, instead of having to clean the outhouse again, you get to do a very special mission."

The three sighed in relief, knowing that they weren't going to get kicked out of the military. The Director's voice boomed again as he began to speak his next sentence, causing all of them to stand attention.

"Remember the MOONCHILD from a couple of months back? Well, during that time, our great scientists managed to build a...special environment for her. Well, it's basically her being in a glass room, where all the technology allows her to bring her "ideal world" into reality. So, that room just made her more comfy. Well, here's the problem. She is so deep into her little fantasy that she doesn't want to wake up. Your job is to wake her up so that we can go on to the next step of my plan...I mean, the "country's future." Any questions?"

Brick immediately rose his hand, in which the Director called upon.

"Sir, um...will there be any dangers into waking her up? Like anything dark or something like that?"

Jo and Lightning merely rolled their eyes, aware and annoyed of Brick's fear of the dark. The Director, on the other hand, merely chuckled a bit before answering.

"I'm glad you asked that. You see, the world she lives in is basically a tree house in the middle of the forest. Nice waterfall, too. Pretty natural. Oh, the only thing you need to be aware of is the fact that there are dangerous animals in the wild. As for dark, well, you'll have to see for yourself in order to find out. The food she created is pretty safe, and delicious, as I heard, so no worries about being hungry. You won't miss the tree house, since it's the only one there. Oh, before I forget to mention this, you can't contact each other through walkie-talkies. As I was informed, it damages her mind to critical levels due to the sound waves or whatever. So, either you stay together or die alone. Your choice. Chef will lead you to the room now. Good luck and I hope you guys stay alive!"

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As soon as the screen turned black, Sergeant Chef dragged them to a room, where a glass room was nearly exploding with trees. Brick, Jo, and Lightning looked on in shock as the boy in glasses who they saw months earlier came to them to explain of the situation.

"Hey guys. Sorry for the scary forest-like arena in there. Luckily, we managed to contain the MOONCHILD's meditation image so that it would fit exactly the are of the glass room. The Director told you everything else, right?"

Jo rolled her eyes as she answered in an annoyed voice. "There's food there, there's water there, she lives in a tree house, yada yada yada. Anything else we need to know about, dweeb?"

The boy merely rolled his eyes in annoyance, well aware of the female cadet's name calling. "You have to be careful when you wake her up. Make her break her dream and come back to reality by any means necessary. Convince her of the situation at hand. Just make sure that you don't say anything that will offend her. The last scout did that and...uh...this happened."

His skinny arms stretched to the jungle inside the glass room. Meanwhile, the scout that Brick immediately remembered as one of the men who escorted the MOONCHILD away in the capsule. The scout's red hair was covered in dirt and leaves, and he was breathing so heavily like he just escaped from death. The boy with glasses then turned to the scout with an angry look on his face.

"Speaking of which, what on earth did you do, Scott?"

Scott managed to regain his breath at this point. "I don't know. That girl is very sensitive. It's like she doesn't like anybody in the real world. I mean, who sends a mutated bird after me?!"

The trio gulped at the fact that there was a possibility that they were dealing with a psychopath who loved nature to death. To Brick, it reminded him of Poison Ivy from Batman, and wondered how to wake her without upsetting her, as Scott did. The boy then gave them machetes for the trip...just in case.

The boy with glasses then looked at them. "Well, I wish you guys luck. Remember, all you have to do is find the tree house and wake her up in the most gentlest, non-violent way possible! Also, watch for a tree house!" The glass door opened and closed as he shouted his parting instructions to the armed cadets as they entered the glass room. Once they were inside, Jo, Brick, and Lightning saw a huge tree with a strange structure that resembled some sort of building.

"Wow, so much for finding that girl, huh? This is too easy!" Jo's voice echoed through the forest.

Lightning pumped his fist up. "Oh yeah! Lightning's got this! Sha-boom! Step aside, men, and let a real solider do his thing!" He immediately latched himself onto the bark of the tree and started climbing up. Jo rolled her eyes and decided to ignore Lightning's gender confusion and started up after him. Brick, on the other hand, stayed behind, thinking a bit of the situation. "Lightning's right...it IS too easy! Unless..."

His thought's were interrupted by a loud moan that shook the ground. Both Jo and Lightning fell to the ground besides Brick (albeit painfully) and saw something rustle in the bushes. The trio cowered in fear, only to find moments later that the mysterious creature was no more than a bunny. Lightning laughed. "A rabbit? A rabbit scared us?! No way! Maybe for those two fools, but not for Lightning! Come here, tiny!" He then approached the rabbit, who then became visibly threatened and angry. Afterwards, it suddenly grew to at least a hundred times its original size (Hulk style) and roared at the trio.

"Uh oh! Looks like trouble!" Jo gasped out. "RUUUNNN!"

As the trio began to run away from the monster and deeper into the forest, where they were unaware of the unknown dangers that awaited them.

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AN: Whew! Finally finished with this chapter! Sorry it took so long, guys! Anyways, I am actually surprised of the amount of views I got for this story after two chapters alone! Thanks guys! Ah, I am also open to ideas of how Brick and Dawn will interact with one another. (Consider it like a request thing) I'm open to new ideas and will credit you for them. I might fix this chapter up since I did it in a hurry, so be aware of that, please. See ya next time!


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